Mens, womens swimming and diving ready for tough opponents

The many banners hanging at Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center speak volumes about IU swimming.\n“This program is about winning championships,” said coach Ray Looze. “We won’t rest until we reach that goal.”\nThe IU men’s swimming and diving team will have a good idea if they are a championship-caliber squad this weekend, when No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Michigan come to Bloomington.\nFortunately, IU has plenty of confidence coming into the meet. The No. 9-ranked men easily took care of Northwestern over the weekend to raise their record to 2-0, and they look primed for their biggest test to date.\n“If we had lost before this, we’d be in some real trouble,” senior Ben Hesen said. “But in a weekend like this one, we are going up against some of the best swimmers in the nation.”\nThe Hoosiers are confident that their top swimmers can keep up. An All-American last year, Hesen figures to be a threat. He has finished first in all of his events thus far. \nSeniors Pat Penoyar and John Kevin Koehler have also impressed, as has senior Todd Patrick, who won Big Ten Swimmer of the Week this week after an impressive performance in Evanston, Ill.\n“It’s a nice honor for Todd,” Looze said. “But he knows that it will mean nothing in the long run.”\nWhile the Hoosiers feel they are on par with their top swimmers, what separates the Longhorns and Wolverines from the rest of the pack is their depth. The performance of Hesen and the Hoosiers is only part of the winning equation. \nLooze has been preaching the need for more depth ever since last season’s disappointing fourth-place finish in the Big Ten Championships, meaning the performance of junior Steffan Troxel and seniors Alex Brunfeldt and Ronald Hehn will all be keys to success this weekend. They have all had strong seasons thus far, and they will need to provide more of the same if IU is to pull the upset this weekend.\n“We need to raise our level,” Looze said.\nThe No. 23 women’s swimming and diving team also faces an uphill battle against No. 13 Michigan and No. 8 Texas, and they feel the challenge gives them a chance to prove their skill.\n“We want to show that even though we’re young, we are a team. We are capable of winning the Big Ten again,” junior Kristy Winck said.\nThe youthful Hoosiers will have their work cut out for them. The Longhorns return seven All-Americans from last season to this one, and the Wolverines have a wealth of experienced swimmers. \nMeanwhile, IU will rely heavily on the performance of their impressive sophomore class. Presley Bard joined Patrick, winning a Big Ten Swimmer of the Week award with an impressive performance against Northwestern after battling illness all week. \nLooze has always made a point of scheduling the best teams early in the year to get his teams swimming at a high level. And even though the Hoosiers may be underdogs, he still demands results out of his team.\n“We want to win,” he said, “That’s all you need to know about what we expect.”